Hack, slash and parkour your way through the zombie hoards of harran
1. Regularly check your weapon stats to make sure you’re using the best ones you have available. You want as high a damage value as possible, but the handling stat is also important as it shows how difficult it is to wield – the lower the number, the slower you’ll swing it and the more stamina you’ll use up in the process. Be aware of how many hits your current weapon has left before it needs repairing, and make sure you have a backup available to quickly switch to, as you’re unlikely to have time to fix it in the middle of a fight with a horde of undead shufflers. Weapon upgrades can significantly improve your stats but they are single use items, so choose carefully when you apply them.
2. Before heading away from a safe zone, make sure you stock up on medkits, lockpicks, and firecrackers. There’s a high cap on how many of these you can carry, so normally you’re only limited by the supply available, and you can always craft more out in the field if you need a top up. Remember to visit the Quartermaster regularly as he has free items to give you every day.
3. We all know it’s fun to fight with zombies, but for your best chance of survival you should put your parkour abilities to good use and stay off the ground to avoid confrontations. If you do get into a scrap, follow the old adage and aim for the head as you’ll deal much more damage that way. If you start to get overwhelmed by a group of enemies then dash to the nearest climbable structure to escape their clutches and reassess the situation.
4. Although you have access to plenty of different weapons, the environment itself is one of the best tools at your disposal. Whenever you encounter a zombie on a rooftop or platform, see if you can kick them off the side – a swift boot over the edge can quickly dispatch an enemy, and it’s as satisfying as you imagine. Keep an eye out for spiked objects, as you can knock opponents into these for easy one-hit kills. As the standard undead aren’t too bright, you can often get them to follow you straight onto spikes without even having to attack them, or lure them to their skewered demise using firecrackers. Red barrels are another excellent environmental weapon as you can use firecrackers to ignite them from a distance, drawing enemies close before the resulting explosion takes them out. But be warned, that the noise this makes could attract more zombies to your location.
5. Use your Survivor Sense regularly to scan for and highlight any weapons, blueprints or collectibles nearby, especially when you enter buildings as this will reveal items that could otherwise be easily missed. It doesn’t mark zombies though so don’t rush into unknown areas, and check your surroundings before searching crates or picking locks so you don’t get attacked while preoccupied. Look out for fridges, as these usually contain food items to replenish part of your health. Survivor Sense also reveals your current quest objective marker.
6. Picking the right skills to upgrade first will help out earlier in the game. Under survivor rank you should unlock Boosters as soon as possible, as this highlights the locations of different plants on the map that can be combined to create stimulating liquids. These concoctions can be used to temporarily raise your speed, increase resistance, bolster stamina, and even improve your ability to see in the dark. For agility level you should grab Slide, which gets you through gaps in barricades and other obstacles, then add in Leg Breaker once available. Now you can crack enemies’ limbs and disable them in one hit, then either leave them behind or finish them off with ease. With power level, make Kick Stun an early purchase, as giving enemies a swift hoof will have a chance to stun them as well. If it does, follow up with your melee weapon as they are much easier to kill once dazed.
7. There are three separate skill trees available, with each requiring different actions to earn XP. Survivor rank is improved by completing quests, as well as helping out the living – look for blue blips on the map, but respond as soon as you see them as these are usually time-sensitive. Agility level is increased by freerunning actions, and as points are doubled at night you can score big by leaping around after dark. Power level is gained by killing enemies, with extra points for creativity, so setting them on fire or kicking into spikes will net greater rewards.